We have many customers who use our Industrial Touch Screens and Workstations as a rugged, wash-down capable front-end for a simple Raspberry Pi computer. Over the years we have written several articles about ways to both physically mount and install/calibrate the touch screen using the Raspbian OS. We’ve also written some general Linux overview articles that review the various ways to use our displays with Linux.

The Raspbian OS has evolved a bit and some of the methods we previously mentioned no longer work as written. Most importantly, newer versions now include libinput instead of evdev. Here is an updated version of our recommended method for using any Hope Industrial touch screen with the latest versions of Raspbian 9 Stretch (kernel 4.9).

Hope Industrial Systems is pleased to announce that our Thin Client / Small PC Enclosure models have been updated to include pre-drilled mounting points for the Dell Box PC 3000. The compact size, efficient thermal design and high temperature rating of the Box PC 3000 make it an ideal fit for our Industrial Small Form Factor PC Enclosures. The Dell Box PC 3000 is maintained by Dell’s industry-leading customer support and service.

Our Small PC Enclosure can be mounted in a number of ways and combined with our Universal Mount Monitors and Industrial Keyboards to create a full stand-alone workstation for any industrial application, including those in full wash-down environments. You can easily complete your workstation with the Dell Box PC 3000 and Dell mounting bracket (Dell part no. 575-BBKB) by attaching the mounting bracket to the existing mounting points on the enclosure door.

We are excited to announce that our line of Industrial PC Enclosures has been updated with pre-drilled mounting points for the Dell Box PC 5000. The compact, fanless design and high heat handling make the Dell Box PC 5000 embedded computers a perfect fit for use in our PC Enclosures.

When combined with one of our industrial Universal Mount Monitors, industrial keyboards, and pedestal or wall mounts, the PC Enclosure and Dell Box PC 5000 creates a full NEMA 4x, IP65/66 rated workstation suited for wash-down environments. Installing the Dell Box PC 5000 into the PC Enclosure is a breeze: attach the Dell mounting bracket (Dell part no. 575-BBKC) using the pre-drilled mount points and use the Velcro tie-down strap to secure the Dell DC power supply. Heat rise is negligible inside the enclosure when used with our optional cooling kit (HIS part no. MK-PC10-STD).

Many of our customers have found industrial applications for the Intel NUC (Next Unit of Computing) line of small form factor PCs. While these units do not have many of the features usually associated with industrial designs (no legacy I/O, no case heat sinks), the fact that they are very small, relatively low cost, and only sip power make them appealing in some situations. (more…)

Last year we reviewed and tested the Intel NUC (Next Unit of Computing) single-board computer to determine its suitability for use with our industrial touch screen and workstation products. The model we tested at that time was the D54250WYK, which was launched in late 2013 and featured an i5 processor.

Based on the success of the earlier models, Intel has continued to improve the NUC line and recently released the first i7-powered model using a 5th generation Intel Core i7-5557U processor. (more…)

The NUC (Next Unit of Computing) from Intel is a small single board computer kit made by Intel and intended for use in any location where a small, cool, and energy efficient yet somewhat powerful computer is required. Intel intends for the device to be used in most any application ranging from digital signage to industrial/commercial kiosks to home entertainment. We’ve had a number of customers ask about suitability of the NUC for use with our industrial touch screen and workstation products, so we thought we’d get our hands on one and take a look. (more…)

**Note: Because this post was written a number of years ago, some information is outdated. For updated instructions on calibrating a Hope Industrial touch screen with Raspberry Pi, visit this blog post.**

In our last post we introduced our Raspberry Pi proof-of-concept project and outlined the physical components and setup required for using the Raspberry Pi as an industrial touch screen PC in a harsh environment. Please see our previous post for important information to consider before integrating a Raspberry Pi with our industrial touch screens. (more…)

The Raspberry Pi is a small single-board computer originally created by the Raspberry Pi Foundation as an affordable tool for teaching computer science. Due to its low cost, ease of use, and broad community support, the Raspberry Pi is now being used in a variety of diverse settings with users installing them in everything from home automation systems to autonomous aircraft.

Most of our customers connect our touch screens and displays to full industrial or commercial PCs and thin clients for industrial HMI and SCADA applications. But with the popularity of the Raspberry Pi, we have had multiple customers ask about compatibility of our screens with the popular single-board device. (more…)

These enclosures allow the PC to be placed at the point of use, without necessarily using special, high cost industrial computing hardware. In most cases, the only wiring requirements are the AC power input and a single Ethernet cable for network access. For many customers, network access is required but no Ethernet is available. This is particularly common on production lines where frequent retooling means that HMI workstations can be moved as needed.

In these cases, wireless network access is the obvious solution, but how well does WiFi work when the device is enclosed in a fully sealed and grounded steel enclosure? Given the wide variety of devices used in our enclosures, there is no single method that works for everyone, but we have devised a few different methods that work in most cases. (more…)

Based on feedback from our customers, we have released a new version of our Industrial Thin Client/Small PC Enclosure with an integrated power supply that outputs 24 volts in addition to the existing 5 volt output. This new power option allows the enclosure to be used with a wide variety of industrial PC’s and thin clients that were previously not supported. The existing model supporting 5/12 VDC is still available. (more…)